LOVE

As most already know, I'm en casa. I arrived in Minnesota safely on Friday and was greeted at the airport by my mom, dad, aunt, and surprised by my friend Becca! Of course, we stopped by Dairy Queen on the way home--Mint Oreo Blizzard! HOLLER! So good. It's been nice being home but I know quite the transition lies ahead but I'm constantly reminded that I'm surrounded by wonderful loving friends and family. :)

I visited Olaf on Saturday/Sunday. It was SO great to see so many friends! But the time flew by and I couldn't see everyone. There was just so much to share and talk about after being gone for 4 months! It was WEIRD being back and felt kinda surreal. Second semester will be quite the adjustment.

When I landed in Texas on Friday I first heard the news of the CT shooting. What a tragic event. And what an understatement that last sentence is. I just came from one of the most dangerous countries in the world, a country that has been devastated with tragedies from the recent civil war to the current gang violence and to come home to such a horrific event is heart breaking. I must be honest, I've been kinda numb towards it. Coming home I'm full of thousands of emotions, and adding more sadness, another unthinkable story to the many I have heard, it's terrible. It reminds me of a story from 1 1/2 years ago when I was in El Salvador for a month. I was with my church and we were visiting schools of the sponsor kids. My pastor was saying how wonderful it was that the kids were able to attend school, unlike their parents that had to fight in the war, and that it was so great that they were able to learn- for school is where they should be. That joyful thought of innocent children going to school, learning and playing with their classmates was quickly interrupted. The Salvadoran pastor began to share that many kids from his community were starting to come to this school because of the gang presence in their old school. But how now at this school many kids were starting to confront the same gang problems and just a few months earlier a couple of kids had been shot outside of school in a taxi by gang members. School should be a safe place where kids can come to learn and grow, play and challenge themselves, regardless of where they are, not a war zone. Granted both of these stories have their differences, they are still both very tragic. I don't really know where I'm going with this but I guess I just wanted to share.

Sending lots of love to you all. Spread it. The world needs a little lovin'!
"Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other." Euripides

It's a reminder of all the LOVE I experience throughout my time abroad. From my friends at home, my family, my friends on the trip, my leaders, my hospitable host families, and others along the way. So from all of them to you--I'm sending LOVE!

This is Just the Beginning

"Trips do not end when you return home – usually this is the time when, in a sense, they really begin."
- Agnes B. Benedict & Adele Franklin, from "The Happy Home"
This quote is from the post-trip email we received from CGE. I can't believe I've already studied abroad. I'm sad it's over but as it says, my trip is really just beginning. 

Saturday morning at 4:30am, I boarded the CGE microbus for the last time and headed to the airport with five of my compañeros/as. Half of our study abroad group was heading home Saturday while the other half was sticking around Central America for at least a week, if not 2 months. After checking in I easily made it through security and to my gate. A quick 40 minute plane ride later I landed in El Salvador, breezed through customs (no lines!), and picked up my bag.

Saturday and Sunday I spent with Pastor Matias and Pastora Martina, going to some of their communities and then to the pool with their kids and grandkids on Sunday. Monday morning they dropped me off at Casa Concordia to kick it with the fam until Friday morning when I will board another plane and head home.

I can't believe I've already studied abroad. It's something I've been dreaming about since high school and now it's done. It was wonderful. Challenging. Incredible. Life changing (in ways I won't even realize). Fun. A growing experience. Unforgettable. I'm so grateful to have had such a wonderful group to travel and study with and such amazing leaders to guide us along the way. As I get ready to head home I wonder about what stories I'll share. Some are easier to tell like celebrating Purisima on our last night, but others are a lot harder. And it's those hard ones that can really have an effect on people and I hope I have the courage to share them. I know there will be people who they'll only want to hear that "it was a great, life changing experience" and leave it at that. And I know that will annoy me sometimes but I know that I have friends and family that will want to hear and I can't wait to share it all with them.

So here I am, in El Salvador with 43 hours until my flight leaves. It's been real. It's been fun.

Thank you all so much for reading. I'm sure I'll share more and write more about my trip in the next month or so. Lots of love to you all! I hope you Minnesotans are enjoying the beautiful snow! And you Oles (and other people taking finals)- good luck! Now get back to studying!!!

Salvation in Action

For my final project I worked with Adam and Charlotte. We focused on the role of liberation theology in the Nicaraguan revolution and its role today in society. We met with two Christian Base Communities and two priests involved with Liberation Theology. In order to share what we learned we decided to have two gospels readings and a sermon. The sermon is an attempt to combine and synthesize what the different people said. 

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

This is the word of God. Thanks be to God.

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SERMON:

CHAR

Historically the Catholic Church has preached that salvation can only be reached through obedience to virtue—repressing “sinful” human impulses and rising above the sinful world in order to gain salvation. However, in the 1960s the Church in Latin American began to recognize the reality of poverty and began to see the church as a catalyst for change rather than as an instiller of fear. At Medellín in 1968, religious leaders gathered to discuss the role of the church in the modern world. It was determined that it is our job to love and serve our neighbors—that is the true path to salvation. Liberation Theology gave a preferential option to the poor, and the popular movement infiltrated Latin America through the creation of Christian Base Communities. The Popular Church began to embrace the parable of the Good Samaritan. Before, the Church preached the path of the Levite and the priest, fixated on “Salvation”, diverted from reality. Now we have begun to walk the path of the Samaritan: we have realized that to truly walk the road to salvation we must act in service along the way—we must help our neighbors.

ADAM

We need to love and serve our neighbors. So, do not succumb to being helpless—action trumps suppression. Do not be apathetic towards your reality—advocate for change in ways you see just. Do not live in fear—live in happiness with those around you. But most importantly: fight hopelessness, do not let fundamentalism and complacency govern your actions. This is the lesson we must learn from the Christian Base Communities in Nicaragua.

JULIE

Empowered by Liberation Theology’s action-focus, Christian Base Communities served as a vehicle for the revolution in Nicaragua. Without Christians the revolution would not have been possible: Christianity was one of the key inspirations for the Sandinista Revolution. Christian Base Communities found solidarity with the Sandinistas because of the oppression from the Somoza dictatorship. Christian Base Communities were used as a network to support the Sandinista Front, and together they worked to bring about revolution. Many key Christian leaders were also leaders of the Sandinista Front. However, the Church hierarchy was not pleased with this involvement in politics and ended their accompaniment with these leaders. Despite the loss of support, these leaders continued to organize in the revolution because they saw the importance of fighting for the oppressed. Although this devotion was crucial to the success of the Sandinista Front, as a result the Christian Base Communities lost many great leaders, particularly after the revolution’s triumph when the leaders took positions in the Sandinista government.

CHAR

The CBCs suffered another loss with the 1983 visit of Pope John Paul II. He met with a conservative archbishop in Nicaragua who publicly opposed the movement. Throughout the 80s Pope John Paul II incorrectly perceived Nicaragua as Communist and therefore ardently supported a split between Nicaraguan Catholicism and Sandinista politics. With building negative pressure from outside, Nicaraguan CBCs found it increasingly difficult to spread their message of love and solidarity.

         ADAM

When the Sandinistas lost the 1990 elections, it marked the start of large numbers of people converting from Catholicism to other Christian denominations, particularly Evangelicalism. Political hopelessness became religious hopelessness and Liberation Theology’s movement in Nicaragua lost support. Worse yet, Daniel Ortega unified Christians throughout Nicaragua with combined Evangelical/Catholic rhetoric that gave rise to fundamentalism. The people are made complacent through popular medieval traditions, and Ortega manipulates the now fanatical Christian masses for political ends. True solidarity and consciousness are hard to come by. Nicaraguan CBCs carry on the fight but lack the revolutionary spirit they started with.

JULIE

Brothers and sisters, I ask you, I beg you to not lose hope. My dear friend Miguel recently reminded me that it has always been minorities that have created change. Although it may seem hopeless at times, we need to remember that our actions of love to those around us are what really matter. We are all one family and God asks us to take care of one another. Even though we may not see the end results of our work, we must remember, as the prayer “Prophets of a Future Not Our Own” says, “we are the workers, not the master builders, ministers, not messiahs.” We cannot and will not be able to do everything but we must not be discouraged—instead be encouraged and liberated to work for what we can while we are here on Earth. A culture of machismo still exists. People are discriminated because of their race and ethnicity. Our LGBT brothers and sisters are hurting. Our environment is being destroyed. We need to stand up and fight for these issues even though we may not see them come into fruition. For God asks us to help those who have been beaten alongside the road, to care for them, to clothe them, and to be in solidarity with them.

CHAR

Let our joy of service liberate us from the fear of salvation. It is better to act in just ways than it is to live in fear. Jesus told us that there is “More joy in giving than receiving”. Let your faith motivate you to be involved in the fight for justice and the struggle for social change—be the sheep, be the Good Samaritan. In a recent conversation with Fernando Cardenal he expressed that “it is dramatic the strength of liberty and freedom you have to decide the type of life you want to live”. I encourage you to let this responsibility cultivate itself in joy.  Go in peace to love and serve.

Final Reflection: Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

For our final reflection we were posed with the question: How has what I have learned about citizen's participation, conflict, and social change this semester affirmed, challenged and/or changed my sense of self as an agent for change?

I answered with the poem below and then with a few remarks at the end. 

PROPHETS OF A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN

by Fr. Ken Untener 

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the

magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,

a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference

between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

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So whatever it is that we go and do after this incredible experience, an experience that words truly cannot describe, as long as we are doing something to love and serve those around us, that is what really matters. It is in our small actions that we can continue to change the world.

This semester has challenged me and touched me in many ways. After traveling to El Salvador the first time four summers ago I was changed. My world was flipped upside down. The people have touched my heart. Every time since then, when I’ve gone to El Salvador I have continued to be touched. Now coming down to Central America with this amazing group of people has moved me again. And hopefully pushed me to work for change in the world.

What a daunting task—changing the world. But through everything, I’ve learned that I need to start small, within myself, with those around me. It won’t always be easy, or cool but the important thing is trying. Keep moving. You could say life is like a race, for me the most important part is to just keep moving. You’ll meet some incredible people along the way as you suffer through the pain together in solidarity. And maybe we won’t see the finish line, the results of our hard work but it’s all about the journey. And THIS journey that I have been able to experience with you all has been incredible. Life changing. And motivation to keep moving, to keep loving, and to keep serving.

home stretch

So folks, we're in the home stretch. I can't believe it. Yesterday we moved out of our homestays and into CGE's center. Tomorrow we have our final presentations. Thursday is our mystery outing day. Friday is a free day to pack and then Saturday we all go our separate ways.

Me and my 'niece' Ammy! :)

my sister Patricia, my mom Daisy, me, my brother Paul, and my dad Antonio

It's an emotional time, leaving our host families and now preparing to leave those that we have come so close to in such a short time. At the same time I am excited to travel back to El Salvador for 6 days and then finally to go home to hopefully a snowy Minnesota (Dear MN, please get on that. Thanks.).

There is so much I have learned, seen, heard, and experienced on this trip. New ideas, perspectives, stories, people, and places. What do I do with all of that? What will I share with people? I hope to be able to share the stories that have touched and moved me. That have had an impact on my heart. It won't always be easy. I might get frustrated but I am so grateful for this experience.

I'll write at least a few more times for my blog to help me remember and reflect on the trip.

For my final project I am researching religion in Nicaragua and the revolution with my friends Charlotte and Adam. We have met with two different Christian Base Communities and two priests. Today we are writing our final presentation which is a sermon. Uff dah. Writing a sermon with 3 people is tricky. Writing a sermon at all is tricky. But it's been lots of fun and very interesting. I'll post it soon.

Sending lots of love from Nicaragua!!!
Thanks for reading! :) Besos y abrazos!